Pretty Girl

A/N: As promised, reviews answered:

Starrynite45: I’m glad you enjoy the Fun Fact. I think that they will help the readers learn to love the story even more! And you’re right, the do break things up. Oh Snape. I find that the best UST happens either in his class or around him in general. Yeah. I don’t think these two will be giving into their UST any time soon. Sorry! Just thought a preview of it would be nice. That’s all.

LadyBlueEyes: I definitely think that the most powerful messages are sent in tiny, ticking timebombs. Such small messages can really make you think differently of another person, or yourself. While I like long, drawn out explanations, sometimes the smallest things really do become our universes. I remember what it was like being a teenager (I just turned 23) and how everything felt so much more then what it was, and one of those things was the physical perception of people. You’re definitely right though, it is deep then just the physical and think Draco will be surprised to find how much of his infaturation involves her intelligence! I also remember what it felt like when a random guy would approach you and tell you that you were pretty, even when you thought he never noticed you!


Snapes_Goddess: Was… was that a hint of some sorts? Hmm. . I think I missed the communication of it. Hmm . . . but I think we all need to be reminded of that sometimes (maybe I’m hinting as well?) But I will definitely take the hint (look for updates in other stories soon.) I truly hope this story turns out to be as beautiful as the first two chapters. Happy writing to you too! I truly am a fan of your stories. (even I don’t always review. I know, I’ll take the hint eventually! )

Foreverlove: I’m really happy that you find the story enjoyable! I’m doubly happy that you think it’s really good! Keep reading because things are going to get interesting.

goddessaisha: Thanks and thanks! Here is your update and I hope it stays at the level of excellence you have come to expect and more then deserve!

paigeey07: I’m reaallllly happy!

Kefira Hajari: Thank you for the very beautiful and wonderful comment. It seems like your husband is a wonderful guy; seeing as how he was able to see the beauty in you! Your comments made my day. I’m trying really hard to be descriptive with this one. I’m trying out a new writing style and I’m happy to see it worked! Thank you very much!

SoftObsidian74: I love it when you review my stories. The reviews are always so insightful! Thanks for a review on 1 and 2. I don’t think it was only her looks, but I do think that teenage boys are inclined to masturbate to what a girl looks like and not what her mind is like. I’ve never been a teenage boy, though, so I wouldn’t know! I like to inject humor into all my stories. I think that people, especially in stressful situations, use humor to cope with the situation, even if they are just telling jokes in their heads. I like to do that with my stories too. I wouldn’t do that so much to Snape but he, too, has some funny musings I’m sure!

RussianRouletteKiss: Thank you! I was really concerned with portraying her truthfully. I love Ani. And I love that song. It’s so perfect.

Ero Sennin: thank you for both your reviews. It’s glad to know that someone sympathizes with busy writers everywhere! I definitely won’t abandon this. I don’t abandon any of my stories, even if it takes me a while to update. I was definitely “not a pretty girl” when I was school, except my hair is blond and bushy, instead of brown and bushy. I always read and I never dated the guys at school. Please, I didn’t have money for good clothes. So I really understand that whole mentality. It wasn’t until I was about 21 that I realized I was actually attractive and that guys liked me for more then just my chest. (It’s large. Unfortunately) I am a drama kid as well, getting my degree in Theatre Education so, no, being in theatre definitely does not help!

Kasri: I have a loving fangirl? That is just too sweet! I’ve always wanted one! Thank you for making my wish come true. Thank you, also, for the very lovely compliments. It hard being so amazing, but if someone’s going to take up the mantel, it might as well be me!


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Chapter Three
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Time was a strange mistress indeed.

It seemed whenever someone was approaching an event with fear and trepidation, time would speed up and suddenly that person would appear at the aforementioned event, a dazed look of confusion upon their faces. The opposite was equally true. Whenever someone faced a circumstance that was sure to bring them happiness, then time would drag on and make that person go crazy with anticipation.

Draco wasn’t sure which scenario described him.

As he listened to Bones go on and on about the pros and cons of certain decorations, he tired desperately not to look at Hermione. She was like a siren’s call to him and it was exceedingly hard to not look at her. Instead, he thought some more on time and what the past two days had been like.

He had avoided her at all costs. As the hours dragged by, he realized that he was looking forward to seeing her, to being in the same room with her again. They shared a few classes, as he was number two in their class and he had to keep up with her, but that was different. This meeting was intimate, only five people here, where she would be forced to interact with him. She would be forced to be in the same space as her, to breathe the air he was breathing. Time had been excruciatingly slow as he waited for the meeting.

And then a strange thing had happened.

During lunch, he had been staring at her, looking away whenever she looked up. He had watched her eat, placing the food delicately in her mouth, and it was then he realized he was fucked. He had thought of it before, but the sinking weight of how fucked he truly was did not land on his shoulders until he watched her spoon her desert in her mouth. A dribble of chocolate had collected at the corner of her mouth and as her pale, pink tongue come out of her mouth to lick it away, he felt his heart fall out of his ribcage, through his body, and onto the cold marble of the Great Hall’s floor. There was something so innocent about that mindless gesture. It belied how naïve Hermione could be, even though she had seen so much in her short life.

It was also the most erotic thing he had ever seen.

Images that he didn’t need to have while eating lunch in the Great Hall sprang into his head. For fuck’s sake, he was fantasizing about a Gryffindor while he ate at his house table! After that thought sunk into his head, he realized he was well and truly screwed.
He had unknowingly admitted to her something he had kept so deep inside of himself that he thought it had been buried away, a thought that would only attack him late at night when no one was around and he was free to exorcise his demons.

Which usually meant that he woke up with a sore wrist.

After he came to this conclusion, time decided that it wanted to play a joke on him. It sped up tremendously, and Draco felt like his day was doing double time. His classes flew by in a blur, he didn’t even remember eating his dinner, and now he was sitting three desks over and three desks behind her. He watched her reach a hand up to try and smooth down the curls on the back of her head. Her curls had always been a disastrous temptation for him and so he naturally had used them as a tool for bullying her. He knew that she regarded her hair with absolute hatred but he would kill to be able to lose himself in that hair. Those luxurious curls, with that deep and mesmerizing chestnut color, the auburn highlights that ran through her hair when the light hit it, sparked a feral desire inside of him, one that wasn’t likely to be controlled anytime soon.

What he wouldn’t give to wake up every morning and see that hair fanned out on his pillowcase!

Bones finally sat down after giving her report. The only person who hadn’t spoken about the Ball was him. He could not imagine who thought he’d be good at this task. As if he cared about another Ball he was being forced to attend! Maybe that was why they had put him on this committee; Merlin knew that Draco had experience with going to long, tedious Balls. All the Pureblood witches wanted to dance with him in their tight, yet elegant, gowns. The only thing he ever looked forward to was being able to close dance with them so he could stare down their dresses. He was a wizard after all, a young wizard with hormones that flitted from girl to girl.

He looked at the back of Hermione’s head. She was different, though. She could never be just a one night stand. She could never be just some thing that he used to gain pleasure from, his own greedy pleasure, just so he could dump her in the morning.

“Malfoy? Did you have anything?” He was brought back by Boot asking him if there were anything he wanted to contribute. He realized that he was now staring into Hermione’s eyes that perfect shade of amber that got him every time. Her lips were half parted and her cheeks looked a little flushed.

“If I had something, I would just say it.”

Boot shook his head. “I don’t know how you made Prefect.” He began to gather up his things as Draco stood.

“What was that you said? Was there something you wanted to share?”

Boot looked back at Draco, and then the Ravenclaw drew in a deep breath through his nose. “No, Malfoy. There’s nothing.”

Draco nodded, as if to say he had known that all along. The committee left and suddenly Draco found himself alone in the class room.

“Why are you like that?” Okay, so maybe he wasn’t alone. His antagonist was standing before him, blocking his way out of the class room.

“Why am I like what, Granger? Right all the time?”

“Why are you such an arsehole to everyone?”

Draco afforded a look of shock. “I didn’t know the Princess of Gryffindor used such vulgar language. Or is that something you reserve only for me?” Hermione’s eyes flared along with her nostrils, coloring creeping up her cheeks. “You better run along, Gryffindor, or I may say something to make you cry. Couldn’t have that, now could we?”

Draco felt his cock twitch at the anger that ran through her eyes. Gods, he was a sick bastard indeed. Goading her into an argument just so he could get his rocks off on her anger. If she didn’t look so damned hot, standing there with anger crackling through the air, maybe he wouldn’t be pressed to push her so far. Yeah, that was it. This was all her fault! With her deep, crackling amber eyes, her thick, curly, tempting hair, the way her lips parted so invitingly, so –

Her hand flew up and slapped him across his face. The crack of skin hitting skin rang through the air. She had slapped him hard enough that he stumbled backward into the desk behind him. He worked his jaw back and forth, then raised his eyes to look at her through his hair.

She was standing there defiantly, cradling her hand in the other. Apparently even she didn’t know she could hit that hard. She was right pissed off, her chest heaving with every intake of air. In that moment, though, he saw none of that. His anger was turning his vision red and he feared what he would do if she didn’t leave right now.

“Get out.” He snarled, his eyes narrowing as they bore into hers through his hair.
Hermione balked, not having expected that at all. She opened to her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

“Get out!” He snarled, his anger reaching a boiling point. Gods, what he wanted to do to her right now. His body was nearly shaking as he held back the impulse to take her in his arms and bend her over the desk and apply some of his own slaps to her ass. Or maybe he should push her against the wall and make it so she could never leave.

The banging of the door was the only sound that cut through the ringing in his ears. She had left, even if he hadn’t seen her go. Gods, what that witch did to him! He felt an uncomfortable tightening in his pants and sighed.

Was there anything this witch did that wasn’t arousing to him?

*

Hermione hurried through the corridors, even though she knew that Draco would dare not follow her. She could feel how hot her cheeks where in the cold air. Had she really just done what she was replaying over and over in her head? She put her hand on her cheek to cool it off, then took her hand down to look at the skin.

The palm was of her hand was a bright pink, the redness having faded after a couple of minutes. Her shoes clacked on the stones as she briskly walked to her common room, her eyes glued to the skin of her hand. She knew these corridors by heart, could navigate them blind if need be, and that’s what it felt like she was doing. She was not watching where she was going, her eyes drawn to the skin on her hand.

She really had hit him, and hit him good. She remembered the sickening, and satisfying, sound of her hand hitting his flesh. The way it had rang out in the room, cementing what had actually happened. It was just like third year except this time, this time it felt different.

Last time it had been because she was just tired of how Draco treated everyone and everything. It had sickened her stomach to watch him make fun of Hagrid and Buckbeak. Sure, the poor hippogryph had hurt him, but that would never have happened if Draco hadn’t have been the prat he usually was in situations. At that time, she had been sticking up for other people, being a champion for them.

Tonight had been all about her.

Tonight had been about the tumultuous rage of emotions he had stirred inside of her; emotions that seemed to belong to another girl in another place. She was angry at him. She just wished that he could see that the things he did were impermissible. The things he was saying where things that should not come out of his mouth. He was making her into a fool, a fool of desire, and that enraged her.

For that was the other emotion she was feeling. She felt an uncontrollable desire whenever he was near. Her body began to melt, her heart began to race, and images flew by in her mind that she had no time for. It was as though Draco had flipped a switch on inside her, had opened a door where her deepest secrets lay. Once those secrets where out and in the open, it was a Pandora’s Box. Only this box had no hope at the bottom of it. This box was going to be the death of her.

Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?

She found herself in front of her common room. Mumbling the password, she swept into the open door. The common room was empty, but the fire was still burning brightly in the fireplace. She liked the common room when it was like this she decided as she ventured into the warm and inviting space. She liked coming home to peace and quiet, especially after her tumultuous day.

She groaned when she realized she had to go upstairs into her dorm. She really had nothing in common with those girls. And even though her common room was quiet Lavender and Parvati would be wide awake, waiting for news about the Yule Ball. She could murder those girls with their nonstop questions about the damned dance! If they were so worried about it, they should get good enough grades to be a Prefect so they could actually work on the Ball.

Hermione climbed her steps with trepidation. She was met with shock, however, to find all the inhabitants of her dorm room asleep. Thankful for the quiet, Hermione silently changed her clothes and slipped into bed, pulling the curtains close tight around her. She mumbled out a silencio charm as her dreams had been rather disturbing as of late and she did not want to wake the other girls up.

Maybe disturbing wasn’t the right word for the dreams she was having. Sure they were disturbing because Draco was the star of them, but every normal teenage girl who was curious about sex was bound to have a sex dream or two, right?

That was another reason she was mad at him. When she should be experiencing some peace during the nighttime hours, the only time when her brain could shut down and she could get away from him, her brain was unwilling to do just that. It seemed stuck on this permanent cycle. She fought to not think of him during the day, which just led to unavoidable time spent worrying about not thinking about him, which caused her to actually think about him! At night, she could finally get away from his presence, did not have to put up her guard, in defense of him sneaking around the corner and whispering maddening tripe in her ear. But at night, all she could think about as she laid awake in bed, was about how she was going to dream about him and how she did not want that to happen.

Had it only been three days since her world had been turned upside down?

Gods, it had only been three days! She was stronger then this. She was stubborn and strong and had faced Death Eaters her fifth year and a whole slew of horrible things the years before that. She had been petrified, for Merlin sake! She was going to let a boy, a Slytherin at that, rent space in her head and slowly cause her to go crazy?

As she slid into sleep, she knew it was hopeless. She was going to be awaking up in the morning from another maddening dream about Draco Malfoy.

She just hoped he kept his clothes on this time.


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A/N: There ya go! I won’t be by my computer as it is Thanksgiving break here in the States, but please don’t hesitate to drop a review or rating if you please!

Fun Fact: I wrote this chapter in between cleaning my dorm and writing my review of the Fall Dance Concert for ballet. Gotta break up the monotony somehow and Dramione/Hermaco–land was a’calling me.

Fun Fact II: Thanksgiving is on Thursday! Happy Turkey Day for us Americans!! The rest of the world, go eat some Turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy and sweet potatoes and stuffing and pumpkin pie and join us in celebrating the day we killed a bunch of Native Americans. This really is the weirdest holiday ever. Well, maybe not. There’s always Boxing Day . . .